Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [328]
Massive shifts in the earth’s crust some 270 million years ago buckled the edges of Europe and forced the former seabed above sea level. At the same time the stone sheets were bent and fractured to form the long, deep cracks so characteristic of the Burren today, each one a stone trench crammed full of wildflowers nurtured on tenuous soil and a microclimate of sweet, damp air.
During numerous ice ages, glaciers scoured the hills, rounding the edges and sometimes polishing the rock to a shiny finish, and dumping a thin layer of rock and soil over the region. Huge boulders were carried by the ice, incongruous aliens on a sea of flat rock. Seen all over the Burren, these ‘glacial erratics’ are often a visibly different type of rock.
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Clare’s Rock Hostel ( 065-708 9129; www.claresrock.com; Carron; dm/s/d €18/30/44; May-Sep; ) is an imposing building of grey exposed stone. It has 30 beds, big spacious rooms and excellent facilities. Guests can hire bikes or cavort with the trolls on the outdoor garden-gnome chessboard.
Cassidy’s ( 065-708 9109; Carron; bar mains €4.50-9.50; daily May-Sep, Sat & Sun Oct-Apr) serves up a good range of pub dishes, several with witty names reflecting the establishment’s previous incarnation as a British Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) station, and then as a garda barracks. Enjoy trad music and dancing some weekends. The views from the terrace are as intoxicating as the drink.
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KILFENORA
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Underappreciated Kilfenora (Cill Fhionnúrach) lies on the southern fringe of the Burren, 8km (a five-minute drive) southeast of Lisdoonvarna. It’s a small place, with a diminutive 12th-century cathedral. High crosses adorn the churchyard, and low polychromatic buildings surround the compact centre.
The town has a strong music tradition that rivals that of Doolin, but without the crowds. The Kilfenora Céili Band ( 065-684 2228; www.kilfenoraceiliband.com) is a celebrated community that’s been playing for 100 years. Its traditional music features fiddles, banjos, squeezeboxes and more. It often plays Wednesday nights at Linnane’s (opposite).
Sights
The Burren Centre ( 065-708 8030; www.theburrencentre.ie; Main St; adult/child €7/4; 10am-5pm) has a series of entertaining and informative displays on many aspects of the Burren past and present. There’s a tea room and a very large shop that sells local products.
The now-ruined 12th-century cathedral at Kilfenora was once an important place of pilgrimage. St Fachan (or Fachtna) founded the monastery here in the 6th century, and it later became the seat of Kilfenora diocese, the smallest in the country. The cathedral is certainly the smallest you’re ever likely to see. Only the ruined structure and nave of the more recent Protestant church are actually part of the cathedral. The chancel has two primitive carved figures on top of two tombs.
Kilfenora is best known for its high crosses, three in the churchyard and a large one from the 12th century in a field about 100m to the west. Most interesting is the 800-year-old Doorty Cross, standing prominently to the west of the church’s front door. It lay broken in two until the 1950s, when it was re-erected. A panel in the churchyard does an excellent job of explaining the carvings that adorn the crosses.
Sleeping & Eating
Kilfenora has two fabulous pubs.
Kilfenora Hostel (Shepherd’s Rest; 065-708 8908; www.kilfenorahostel.com; Main St; dm €20-24, d €52-60; ) Affiliated with Vaughan’s Pub next door, this guesthouse has 46 beds in nine rooms. There’s a laundry and a big kitchen. Weary travellers in the lounge may feel they’ve fallen into the hand of God.
Murphy’s B&B ( 065-708 8040; lika@eircom.net; Main St; s/d from €45/70; mid-Feb–Nov) Right on the main street,